Whether it was Su Yan, Xia Ningshang, Xue Yue, or Ji Yao, all of them possessed extraordinary aptitude. Otherwise, they would never have been able to cultivate to the Emperor realm back in the Star Boundary in such a short time. Su Yan in particular, bearing the Ice Phoenix origin and possessing the Ice Crystal Jade Body, had exceptional talent among the four.
Their years of Cultivation were not especially long, but back in the Star Boundary they had never lacked resources, so each of them had built a remarkably solid foundation.
While they had been in the Star Boundary, the Heaven and Earth Bottle had restricted them, preventing them from gaining the acknowledgment of the Heaven and Earth will and condensing their own Dao Seals. But once they left the Star Boundary and stepped beyond this cosmos, things were different — condensing Dao Seals required no effort whatsoever.
Because their foundations were so solid, their Dao Seals were correspondingly steadfast.
Zhu Jiuyin had been right — the four of them should have no problem refining fifth-grade resources. As for Yu Rumeng, she was a Demon Race Holy Demon who already possessed her own Dao Seal, and like the other Great Emperors, she had already begun refining sixth-grade resources.
If these were ordinary disciples of Void Land, Yang Kai would have been quite content with them refining fifth-grade resources. But these were his women, after all, and naturally he wished for them to have something better.
He took out the Dao One Divine Water and distributed it among the four.
This item had been given to him by Zhu Jiuyin back in the Grand Void Realm. Zhu Jiuyin had lived in the Grand Void Realm for so many years that she possessed no shortage of treasures, and as a Sacred Spirit, the Dao One Divine Water was entirely useless to her, so she had handed it over to Yang Kai without hesitation.
Yang Kai had used some of it back then, but a small portion remained. Now each woman could only receive three or four drops apiece, but it would be enough to make their Dao Seals even more stable.
A skilled worker must first sharpen his tools. Ever since leaving the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had come to deeply appreciate the importance of Dao Seals to a warrior. One could say that a warrior's future achievements, and even the success or failure of their advancement to Open Heaven, were intimately tied to their Dao Seal.
The more steadfast the Dao Seal, the higher the grade of resources one could refine, and the lower the chance of failure during advancement.
Yang Kai and Yu Rumeng stood guard as the four women each consumed the Dao One Divine Water and retreated into seclusion to refine it.
"So you want them to refine sixth-grade resources in the future?" Yu Rumeng guessed Yang Kai's intentions and transmitted her voice to him discreetly. At the moment her clothes were somewhat disheveled, her hair was in disarray, and her cheeks still bore a lingering flush — a sight that was remarkably alluring.
Yang Kai took her hand and toyed with it gently, replying in a soft voice: "Advancing to Open Heaven isn't the end of the martial path. There are different grades within Open Heaven, and the gap between one grade and the next is enormous. A higher starting point spends them years of bitter Cultivation and grants them a broader future. Naturally, the higher the starting point, the better."
"My husband speaks wisely!" Yu Rumeng nodded gently, then leaned sideways into Yang Kai's embrace, running her fingers lightly over the stubble on his chin. "You've been running around all these years, my husband. It must have been exhausting."
Though she had never heard of the Dao One Divine Water before and had never laid eyes on it, anything that could help a warrior stabilize their Dao Seal was no ordinary treasure — it was the kind of thing any warrior would dream of possessing.
A treasure like this, who wouldn't want it? Yet Yang Kai had obtained it. What kind of hardships and struggles must he have endured to get his hands on it?
Yang Kai lowered his head, his finger tracing those ruby-gem lips, and said with a roguish grin: "So how will Rumeng compensate me?"
Yu Rumeng shot him a bashful, reproachful glance. "They're all refining the Dao One Divine Water — stop making a fuss, husband. It wouldn't do to disturb them." She paused, then added: "Since you're back for once, after they're done, you should go see A Luo."
Yang Kai nodded. "How has A Luo been lately?"
On this return, all of his wives were present except for Shan Qingluo. There was no helping it — when he had brought them over from the Star Boundary, Zhu Jiuyin had immediately sensed the affinity within Shan Qingluo's body and spirited her away directly. Yang Kai couldn't very well object, since it was ultimately a good thing for Shan Qingluo. With Zhu Jiuyin's careful guidance, he believed Shan Qingluo's future achievements would be nothing to scoff at.
Yu Rumeng said: "I'm not entirely sure. A Luo has been with Senior Zhu Jiuyin this whole time and hasn't made an appearance during these days. Su Yan mentioned that when they visited last time, they saw A Luo, and she seemed to be in good health."
Yang Kai nodded. "I'll make time to visit Zhu Jiuyin."
Refining the Dao One Divine Water didn't take much time — only two or three days at most. The four women opened their eyes one after another, and Yang Kai inspected each of their Dao Seals in turn. He found that their Dao Seals had indeed become significantly more stable, more than sufficient to support the refinement of sixth-grade resources, and he finally felt at ease.
Had he not possessed the Celestial Origin Correct Seal Pills, he might not have had the courage to let all of his wives attempt to refine sixth-grade resources. A Dao Seal supporting the refinement was one thing; having the audacity to actually attempt it was another matter entirely, since the risks of sixth-grade versus fifth-grade during advancement to Open Heaven were vastly different.
But Yang Kai had the Celestial Origin Correct Seal Pills. When the day came for Su Yan and the others to advance, those pills would provide them with the greatest possible protection.
He sent them to find Bian Yuqing to obtain sixth-grade resources, then made his way toward Zhu Jiuyin's dwelling.
First, he wanted to see Shan Qingluo. Second, he wanted to know just how much of Zhu Jiuyin's Cultivation had recovered. She was a Sacred Spirit native to the Grand Void Realm, and having escaped to the outside world, she needed to adapt to the laws of this cosmos before she could manifest her peak power.
Calculating the time, several years had passed since they left the Grand Void Realm. By all rights, Zhu Jiuyin should have made a full recovery by now.
Zhu Jiuyin lived atop a spirit peak, the entire mountain crowned with a complex of palaces. No outsiders were present — only she and Shan Qingluo.